Light to Valhalla (31 page)

She leapt
to her feet, brushing snow from her trousers
.
“Kiss me
at the hunting cottage.
”
She flashed a coy smile,
jogging
a few steps through the snow before settling into a brisk walk
.
“You promised to warm me up
.
Remember?”

A
lex
gaped in total disbelief
.
Had he
correctly interpreted her double meaning?

“Coming?” Charley asked with the innocent luminescence of an angel.

“Of course
.
”
As i
f he’d turn down an invitation like that
.
With the enthusiasm of a green schoolboy
Alex clamored to his feet,
bounding
after her with ground
eating strides
.
“You and I, sweet
Charley
, may have very different ideas in regard to the meaning of
warming up
.”

“
Oh?
”
Those huge green eyes flicked up to him
.
“
What is your definition?”

He blinked, assessing… W
as she really that innocent? 
Impossible
.
She couldn’t be
.
He glanced down and caught the secretive curve of her lips
.
No, s
he wasn’t that innocent after all which meant…  He shook away the lurid thought
.
If he was going to gain
Charley
’s trust he must hold off on pressuring her
for
wifely duties
.
Hell, how many men had been married for three years and not consummated their marriage
?  Not many to be sure
.
“I do believe you’re flirting with me.”

“Perhaps, but
I don’t have much practice.
”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?  A pretty girl like you is sure to attract a horde of admirers.”

“You think I’m pretty?
”
Charley
slowed, A
lex followed suit and they stopped walking, facing each other
.
She
looked up without warning, pegging him with
one of her brilliant smiles
.
H
e was lost
.
Totally wrecked
.
Sunlight
lived in that smile,
more luminous than even the diamond speckled snow
, and he was a better man for her
.

“I think you’re
so
beautiful
it hurts
,
”
he murmured, tugging at a lone curl draped across the side of her face
.

“Stop.
”
She flushed
, casting her gaze down into the snow
.
“
You flatter me.”

“No
.
”
He
grasped her face,
relishing the smooth, creamy skin beneath his calloused hands
.
Alex refused
to break the bond of their eyes
.
She couldn’t look away from him
.
She was his life line
.
His reason for breathing
.
Life itself paled in comparison to the sheer passion churning in her eyes
.
“
I speak the tr
uth,” he rasped, throat
bone dry
.
“
You deserve to be flattered
.
Lord knows you deserve better than me.
”

A flash of undeniable longing shot through her eyes
.
In response a rush of liquid hot desire surged through him
.
For a long moment
they stood facing each
other,
searching each other’s eyes, their souls
.
She reached up, covering his hands wi
th her own
.
Chilly fingers curled around his
palms
, her
touch
cool and searing all at the same time
.
“What do you mean?”

Memory of the woods in France
churned in his brain, battling his conscience
.
Instinctively he shied from the remembrance
.
By Christ he couldn’
t tell
Charley
the truth
.
She’d find out sooner or later, but n
ot yet
.
For
one day he wanted
her to look at him with adoration brimming in her eyes
.
For one day he needed to be the man
who saved her from murderers
instead of
being
a murderer
.
Tomorrow he would tell her the truth
about General Witherspoon
.
Tomorrow.

“Alex, what is wrong?”

He took her hands, wrapping them within his much larger palms and drew them to his
lips
.
“You’re cold,” he murmured
, dropping a kiss on the icy
digits
.
“I will be remiss in my husbandly duties if I do not
see you to the hunting lodge with all haste.”

She smiled, and the miserable fate awaiting him in London faded
.
“It would be infinitely more remiss if you did not warm me up once we arrive.
”
The unspoken invitation was
writ all over her face, and Alex was hard pressed not to ravish her there in the powdery snow
.

Slow
.
Go slow
.
Grudgingly he broke away from his wife and, offering his arm—which
she graciously
took—continued
toward the cottage
.
Odd, but his wits seemed
thoroughly scattered
.
The only comprehensible thought in his head what he’d like to do to Charley o
nce they reached the lodge
.
His
mind spun, searching for something suitable to say
.
The weather, politics… Christmas was coming up
, did she have plans?
But, dear Lord, even
the gentle touch
of her fingers through the heavy
great
coat
sent ripples of vibrant awareness flowing across his skin
.

He cleared his throat, searching for a
suitable topic of conversation, and t
he number of ways he wanted to undress her would hardly suffice
.
“
When exactly did my mother take such a
poignant
dislike to you?  If I remember correctly she was the one who most insisted we marry three years ago.”

“
Her opinions and loyalties change with the winds.
”
Charley looked down at their feet and kicked at the snow
.
“
The first offense was when I failed to conceive after the wedding night.”

“So I’d gathered.”

“But what really set her against me is when I gave sanctuary to a woman wishing to leave her abusive husband.”

“Really?
”
Interest piqued
Alex
looked down at her with new respect
.
“What happened?”

Charley shrugged
.
“
There is not much to tell.
”

“
Why do I not believe that?
”
He chuckled
softly,
t
he incident had certainly been enough to spark his mother’s insatiable ire
.
More seriously he coaxed, “
Truly, love, I’
d like to hear
t
he tale
.”

Charley remained
silent for
so long Alex
fear
ed
she would not confide in him
.
Trust was a thing long in developing and unfortunately he’d wrecked most of what she’d had in him
.
“
One day about two and a half years ago I was invited to afternoon tea with Lady Carson
.
A maid in her
employ had an absolutely garish bruise all across the left side of her face
.
The maid claimed some ridiculous excuse of running into a
n open cabinet.”

“How do you know the excuse was ridiculous?
”

Reproachful green f
ixed on his face
.
“That’s it
.
I’m not telling you the rest of the story
.
You’ll never understand.”

“
What?  Why do you think I w
on’t understand?”

“Because you’re already blindly si
ding with her
husband.
”
Charley rolled her eyes
.
“Men always do.
”

Alex took offense to that
.
“Oh, and women don’t always side with
other
women?”

“No, w
omen are far worse
.
At least men will choose a side, however misguided
.
Women claim a situation like Missy’s is none of their business, turn their backs to the other woman, and then gossip incessantly behind her back
.
Women are contemptible.”

Alex paused, regarding his wife with new eyes
.
Charley spoke with such strength of conviction about subjects he’d never suspect
ed
entered her thoughts
.
She’d always had a
n unwavering
sense of
honor;
he’d just never realized how deep the root ran
.
She’d actually incurred the wrath of, not only his mother, but the entire ton to help a woman in need
.
A maid of far lesser rank even.

“I’m not siding with the husband,” Alex
said quietly
.
“
I
am merely pointing out that she
really
may have run
into a cabinet.”

“
Doors do not have fingers,” she
clipped
pointedly,
staring straight ahead,
“and a handprint was clearly visible on Missy’s face.”

“Well, you didn’t include that bit in the first
part
of the story.”

“Only becaus
e you were too busy interrupting me
.”

He laid a palm out before them
.
“
Please
continue
, my lady
.
I give you my wholehearted p
romise to listen
and nothing more
.
”

Charley regarded him with serious eyes
.
“
Lady Carson,
” she continued at last,
“
being the gossip she is
about anyone and everyone
,
went on to tell me the woman’s husband
was a sailor and that she only
had
accidents
when hi
s ship was in port
.
The truth of the situation was painfully obvious and I made a point of seeking the girl out
.
At first Missy was horrified by my questions, denied any mistreatment from her husband, and refused my help.
”
Charley grew more animated as she talked
.
“Mind you I can be very persistent
and one night she came to
Coverstone
House
beaten and bloodied, begging for help
.
I couldn’t turn her away and promised to help her get to her aunt in Scotland
.
Missy’s husband was close on her heels with a handful of other seamen.
”
She cocked her head
contemplatively
.
“Six I think, but that
is of no matter.
”
She paused as though collecting her thoughts
.
“Regina was furious, but no matter how she raged I refused to turn the girl out to the drunken mob
.
Even when they threatened to storm the house I held firm and smuggled Missy out the back door with one of our grooms.”